Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, right, welcomes his Latvian counterpart Edgars Rinkevics during their talks in Moscow, Russia, Monday, Jan. 12, 2015. Lavrov is scheduled to meet four of his colleagues from the Normandy group in Berlin later today to discuss preparations for upcoming meeting of their country leader's in an attempt to settle the crisis in Ukraine. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)
(The Associated Press)

BERLIN – Germany's foreign minister is hosting his counterparts from Russia, Ukraine and France in an attempt to move forward efforts to calm the Ukrainian crisis and perhaps clear the way for a summit of the countries' leaders.

The meeting planned Monday evening in Berlin follows a flurry of diplomacy including a brief weekend encounter in Paris between the German, French and Ukrainian leaders.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel also has spoken by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin and met the president of Kazakhstan, the possible host of a four-way summit on Ukraine.

Merkel and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier are pushing for progress on implementing a much-violated peace deal that was drawn up in Minsk in September. Berlin says a substantial narrowing of differences is needed for a summit to take place.